Store-service apparatus.



C. E. THOMPSON.

STORE SERVICE APPARATUS.

APPLICATION FILED MAY 13. 1912.

,806. Patented Mar. 16, 1915 2 SHEETS-SHEET 1.

\ (L J a A '6 o (B l ou 7 I 4 5 J a a r 6' if 6 a 7 THE NORRIS PETERS C04, PHOTO-L!THO.. WASHINGTON D. c.

G. E. THOMPSON. STORE SERVICE APPARATUS. APPLICATION FILED MAY 13, 1912. 1., 1 31,806. Patented Mar. 16, 1915.

2 SHBETSSHEET 2.

THE NORRIS PETERS CO1. FHOTO-LHHO WASHINGTON, D. C

TTNTE STATE PATENT @FFTCE.

CLEMENT E. THOMPSON, OF BOSTON, MASSACHUSETTS, ASSIGNOB TO 'lI-LE LAI-IISON COMPANY, (FORMERLY LAMSON CONSOLIDATED, STORE, SEEVIGE COMPANY) OF BOSTON, MASSAGHUSETTS,,A CORPORATION OF NEW JERSEY.

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Specification of Letters Eatent.

Patented'hilar. it 1915.

Application filed May 13, 1912. Serial No. 696,823.

To all whom it may concern Be it known that I, CLEMENT E. THOMP- SON, of Boston, in the county of Sufiolk and State of Massachusetts, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Store-Service Apparatus, of which the following is a specification.

My invention relates to improvements in store service apparatus and especially to an automatic self-dumping basket which dumps its load at the central station into a suitable receptacle.

In the drawing which illustrates a con struction embodying my invention:

Figure 1 is a side elevation of a preferred embodiment of my invention showing the basket arriving at the station and before the dumping of the parcels. Fig. 2 is a side elevation showing one form of propelling device adapted for use with an inclined track.

The supporting frame 1' of the basket 1 is connected in any suitable manner to a carrier A which is adapted to run upon the wire ways B. The car may be propelled by any suitable propelling mechanism from the salesmans end to the central station and where the line is inclined will return by gravity, or it may be propelled from both ends by suitable mechanism well known in the art. At one end of the basket 1 is pivoted the door 2, which is normally held closed by a locking bar 3. The opposite end of this bar 3 toits latching end is provided with a hook l.- Nhen the carrier is propelled from the salesmans station to the central station the hook 4 engages the rubber spring 5 which slightly yields and causes the bar 3 to be thrown backward allowing the door 2 to swing open by gravity, thereby opening the end of the basket. The momentum of the car and the tilting of the same by its engaging the rub ber spring 5 shoots the parcel from the basket into a suitable receptacle C. The spring 6 around the locking bar 3 normally holds said locking bar forward when the door 2 is closed; in which position of the door the forward extremity of bar 3 can enter a suitable recess provided therefor in the hinge bearing 2 of said door. The ten sion on the spring 6 is such that it will permit the delivery of anything that happens to be in the basket, whether it be light or heavy, provided the basket is propelled to the central station with sufficient force to unlatch the door.

The bar 3 is slidably mounted in bearings 8 and the rubber spring 5, or its equivalent is supported upon, a suitable bracket 7.

I do not limit myself to the particular construction shown, as. the same may be widely varied without departing from the spirit of my invention.

Having thus described the nature of my invention and set forth a construction embodying the same, what I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent of the United States is- I. In a store service apparatus, a way, a carrier adapted to travel on said way, a basket carried by said carrier and provided with a door, mechanism for normally holding said door closed and means in the path of the traveling carrier for tilting said basket upon its arrival at a station and for operating said mechanism to automatically open said door.

2. In a store service apparatus, away, a carrier adapted to travel on said way, a basket carried by said carrier and provided with a door, mechanism for normally holding said door closed and means in the path of the traveling carrier for tilting said basket and for simultaneously operating said mechanism to automatically open said door.

3. In a store service apparatus, a way, a carrier adapted to travel on said way, a receptacle carried by said carrier, said receptacle provided with a door at the end thereof beneath one of the ends of said carrier, means for holding said door in its closed position during transit of the carrier, and means, at a point where said receptacle is to be unloaded, for releasing said door, the material in said receptacle being discharged therefrom in a line substantially parallel with the line of travel of said carrier at said point.

4:. In a store service apparatus, a way, a carrier adapted to travel on said way, a receptacle carried by said carrier, said receptacle provided with a door at the end thereof beneath one of the ends of said carrier.

means for holding said door in its closed tacle is to be unloaded, for releasing said door, the material in said receptacle being discharged therefrom in a line substantially parallel with the line of travel of said car- 'rier at said point.

5. In a store service apparatus, a way, a carrier adapted to travel on said way, a receptacle carried by said carrier, said receptacle provided with a door at the end thereof beneath one of the ends ofsaid carrier, means for holding said door in its closed position during transit of the carrier, and means at a point where said receptacle is to be unloaded for releasing said door, said door being adapted to open by the momentum thereof whereby light articles carried in said receptacle may be freely discharged by their own momentum in substantially the direction of their previous movement while in said receptacle.

6. In a store service apparatus, a way, a carrier adapted to travel on said way, a receptacle carried by said carrier, a buffer for arresting the movement of said carrier at a determined point and separate yielding means for independently arresting the movement of said receptacle and effecting the discharge therefrom by momentum of articles carried thereby.

7. In a store service apparatus, a way, a receptacle, means for supporting said receptacle for movement along said way, said receptacle provided with adoor at the end thereof through which an article may be discharged substantially in the direction of travel of said receptacle, means for holding said door closed during transit, and means for arresting said receptacle and releasing said door from said holding means at a determined point to permit said articles to be discharged thereat.

8. In a store service apparatus, a way, a receptacle, means for supporting said recep-v tacle for movement along said way, said receptacle provided with means for positively retaining an article therein during transit, said receptacle adapted to discharge endwise thereof by the momentum of said article, means for arresting the movement of said receptacle along said way and for rendering inoperative said retained means to permit the discharge of said article.

9. In store service apparatus, a way, a receptacle having an opening through which an article carried thereby may be ejected by its own momentum, means for suspending said receptacle from said way to permit of movement therealong, a device for projecting the receptacle along said way, and means for abruptly checking and reversing its progress at a determined point, whereby to discharge the article carried thereby by its own momentum and return said receptacle along a portion at least of said way.

10. In store service apparatus, a way, a receptacle adapted for movement along said device for projecting said receptacle along.

said way, and means for abruptly checking the progress of said receptacle along said way at a determined point, whereby to discharge the article by its own momentum.

11. In store service apparatus, an upwardly inclined wire-line way, a carrier to travel back and forth thereon, a receptacle suspended from said carrier having an opening therein through which a load in said receptacle may be discharged, and means at a determined point along said way to check said carrier and tilt said receptacle to unload the same, said carrier and its receptacle being adapted to automatically travel back by gravity along said way toward the point from which said carrier was despatched.

12. In store service apparatus, an upwardly inclined wire-line way, a carrier to travel back and forth thereon, said carrier being provided with a load-supporting part, impulse means to project said carrier upwardly from a despatching point to an unloading point along said way, and means at said unloading point to check the progress of said carrier and unload said part by the momentum of the load itself, said carrier being adapted to then automatically travel back by gravity to said despatching point.

13. In store service apparatus, a way, a carrier to travel back and forth thereon, said carrier being provided with a load supporting part, impulse means to project said carrier from a despatching point to an un loading point along said way, and means substantially at said unloading point to unload said part by the momentum of the load itself, said carrier being adapted to thereafter automatically travel back along said way toward said despatching point.

In testimony whereof, I have signed my name to this specification in the presence of two subscribing witnesses.

CLEMENT E. :rHoMPsoN.

Witnesses:

H. C. TURNER, FRANK D. POWELL.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressing the. Commissioner of Patents,

' Washington, D. 0. 

